Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy was developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in the 1950's. Educators are beginning to rethink how they address behaviour in schools. Slowly we are appreciating that if students are to learn how to better manage themselves emotionally and behaviourally more successfully then REBT has a lot to offer through RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR EDUCATION

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Saturday, 22 March 2014

Keeping Coolio at Schoolio! Anger Management in the Early Childhood Setting

You can use REBT principles to teach young people in early childhood how to manage their feelings. 'Must' thinking (Brain Bully) makes unhealthy anger and low frustration tolerance. 'Preference' thinking (Brain Friend) makes healthy annoyance and promotes frustration tolerance. Read this to your students. I'd be interested to know how they respond to 'Julio Keeps Coolio at Schoolio!'

Giulio

Julio Keeps Coolio at Schoolio!

Julio would ‘chuck a
wobbly’ every time he didn’t get his own way. When his teacher said ‘time to
pack up!’he would ‘crack a
fruity’ because he wanted to play with his lego instead. ‘Whinge, whinge,
whinge!' He whinged.

If his mum at home
asked Julio to help with the dishes he would ‘spit the chewy’ because he was
playing with his model car. He stomped his feet! He clenched his fists! He said
‘wha wha wha I want to play with my car!

At school he was doing
some maths and he ‘spat the dummy’ because it was hard and he only wanted easy
stuff to do. His eyes bulged, he turned purple and his nose wrinkled and he bashed the desk with his
fist. ‘Whine whine whine.' He whined.

"Whinge whinge

I want my way!

Wha wha

I won’t do what you say!

Whine whine

All the time!"

His mum was sad. ‘Why
do you always chuck wobblies Julio? Why do you always have to get your way?’

His teacher said, ‘Why
do you always crack a fruity when you don’t get what you want?’

His friends said ‘we
don’t like it when you spit the dummy’.It is not cool to do that at school.’

Julio’s mum took him
to see Doctor Calmfella who helped people who couldn’t control their anger.

'What can I do for you?' Dr Calmfella asked.

Julio said ‘I spit the
chewy when I don’t get my way!’

Mum said, ‘he chucks a
wobbly when everything isn’t just right!’ and his teacher says that he‘cracks a fruity’ when he has tough
stuff to do! And his friends say
its not cool to spit the dummy at school!'

"Mmm", said the doctor.

"I see" he said.

He thought a while and he scratched his head.

"You spit the chewy,

You chuck a wobbly or two

You have the odd dummy spit.

That’s what you do!

Not only that

You crack the odd fruity.

Control your anger

That is your duty!"

This is not helpful
for your mum, your teachers or your friends. I think you have a severe case of
MUSTITIS!

‘What’s that?’ Julio
and his mum said at the same time. That sounds bad!'

"It’s a Brain Bully rule

Inside your head

You can’t keep cool

You chuck wobblies instead!

Brain Bully says

I MUST get my way

I MUST do what I want

Every single day!

I MUST, I MUST

Is what you’re thinking

That kind of rule

Is stinking thinking!"

The doctor wrote some
notes on a piece of paper and turned to Julio and said:

"It’s time to say

To that Brain Bully rule

I can keep cool

When I’m at school

You can keep coolio

He said to Julio

You can keep coolio

At home and at schoolio!"

Julio did lots of
thinking. He wondered if it was so very bad to help mum at home. He thought
about school and how he wanted things to be easy all the time. 'Hang on', he said
himself. 'It’s not so bad when I don’t get my way.My head wont explode if I try tough stuff! The world won’t
end if I have chores to do at home. I don’t always have to get my way!' Julio
got rid of his MUST Brain Bully rule and learned how to do important things
even when he wanted to do something else instead.

Now when you visit
Julio at home or see him at school you will notice something. He doesn’t chuck
so many wobblies. He has fewer dummy spits and rarely cracks a fruity! You know
what? No one can remember the last time he spat the chewy!